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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID P. SKELTON, OF SOOTTSBOROUGH, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO R. S. SKELTON, OF SAME PLACE.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 577,211, dated February 16, 1897. Application iiled January 31, 1896. Serial No. 577,586. (No model.)

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Be it known that I, DAVID P. SKELTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scottsborough, in the county of Jackson and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Buckle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buckles for harness, personal wear, and for general application where the essential part of the buckle is a tongue to engage with or pass through an opening in the strap, tape, or part to be secured. It is difticult at timesto properly insert, engage, or disengage the tongue from the part to be released and this invention has for its object to overcome this difficulty and to render the buckle easier to operate, particularly when used in connection with heavy straps.

With these and such other ends as pertain to the character of the invention the latter consists, essentially, of a buckle having a tongue formed in its length with a hinge-joint also in supplying the tongue with a ring to break the joint, whereby the tongue can be quickly disengaged from the part with which it is connected, and, further, in combining with the tongue a spring to stiien the joint formed between its parts, and, lastly, in certain details of construction and combination of the parts, which hereinafter will be more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a buckle constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and showing the same applied. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the buckle having the straps disconnected. Fig. 3 is a cross-section ot' the buckle about on the line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an inverted perspective view of the tongue. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a difterentlyformed tongue. Fig. 6 is' a longitudinal section of the tongue illustrated in Fig. 5.

The saine reference-characters denote corresponding and like parts in all the igures of the drawings.

The buckle-frame, which may be of any pattern, size, or form, comprises longitudinal bars 1, end bars 2, and intermediate bars 3 and 4. The tongue 5 is connected with the bar 3 in the usual way by having its rear end bent around it, and in the present instance is composed of two parts 6 and 7, which are' connected together by a pivotal or hinge joint, the latter being of the rule type, so that the outer part 7 cannot turn back andwill be held in alinement with the part 6 when the tongue is in operative relation. As shown, the part 6 is bifurcated or cleft at its outer end, and the part 7 is formed with a tang at its inner end to enter the cleft in the part 6, and a wire passes through the overlapping parts or end portions, so as to pivotally connect them together, and this wire is bent to form a ring S, to be grasped when it is required to break the joint, so as to release the tongue from the part with which it is in engagement.

The joint formed between the parts 6 and 7 is stiffened by a spring 9, which overlaps the joint on the inner or lower side of the tongue, and this spring is iat and secured to one of the parts of the tongue in any convenient and substantial manner, so as to hold the parts 6 and 7 in alinement under normal conditions. It is preferred to secure the spring to the part 6, and the attachment is had by constructing the spring with a cross-head 11, which is fitted in a depression formed by a rear projection 12 and front projections 13, which projections are upset or riveted at their outer ends to extend over the head 11 and secure it in place. This construction obviates punching the spring to receive a rivet for fasteningit to the tongue. The end of the tongue engages with the remote end bar 2 in the usual way, and the intermediate bar 4 comes about opposite the `hinge or pivotal joint in the length of the tongue, so as to brace the same and sustain the stress imposed upon the tongue when in service. This brace-bar 4 is an essential part of the invention and is indispensable in that class of buckles which are subjected to severe strain.

The tongue 5a (shown in Figs. 5 and 6) is formed of parts 14 and 15, connectedv together by means of a rule-joint, the part 14 having a cleft 16 extending from its outer end to Within a short distance of its pivotal end and the inner end of the cleft being widened to form a dovetail mortise 17. The spring 18 is located in the cleft 16 and comes flush with IOO ` the outer side of the tongue, and its inner end is formed with a dovetail projection or head 19 to be pressed into the correspondinglyshaped mortise 17, so as to hold the spring to place. The outer edge portion of the tang of the part 15 is recessed to receive the end portion of the spring 18, whereby projecting ends are avoided. The part 14 is a solid bar and is bored to receive the cross-bar upon which the tongue rocks.

The spring 9 may be dispensed with Without detracting from the effectiveness of the invention g" but it is preferred to make use of the same in order to hold the parts of the tongue in alinement under normal conditions.

From the foregoing it will 'be seen that the invention is susceptible of application to all manner of buckles which embody in their organization a tongue. Hence in adapting the same to a particular style or make of buckle it will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantagesl of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new isl. In a buckle the combination of a tongue formed at a point between its ends with aV hinge or pivotal join t, and a ring pivotally connecting the parts of the tongue and adapted to be grasped when it is required to break the joint to disen gage the tongue from a strap or 3. A buckle having a tongue jointed bev tween its ends, the tongue having a recess formed in one of its parts by projections, and a spring overlapping the joint between the parts of the tongue, and having a cross-head which. is fitted in the said recess and secured therein by upsetting the projecting parts of the said projections, substantially in the manner shown and described.

4. A buckle comprising a frame, a tongue composed of parts, a ring connecting the parts of the tongue, a spring for stiffenin g the joint formed between the parts of the tongue and secured to one of the parts, and a brace-bar forming a part of the buckle-frame and coming opposite the joint of the tongue to sustain the latter when in service, substantially in the manner set forth.

In testimonyr that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID P. SKELTON.

WVitnesses:

W. J. ROBINSON, W. B. SUMNER. 

